Clinical thermometer



vNov. 17,

IHIIHVIHIIHIIHIIHIIHI IIHllHlIHI R. F. SCHNEIDER CLINICAL THERMOMETER Filed April 24, 1930 .attesi rarer Erica Entier-r E. SCHNEIDER, E JERSEY crrY, NEW` JERSEY, :AssrGNoR ro MEINECKE & COMPANY, or NEW Yong, N. Y., A ooE-PonA'rtoN or NEW JERSEY oLrNIoAL THEEMoi/[ETER Application nled April 24, 1930.V Serial No. .Li.,

My inif'ention relates to clinical thermometers of the type known as lens front or magnifying front. rEhe tube of thermometers of this type has its cross-sections in the form 1pproximating that of an Visosceles triangle, the edges, however, being slightly rounded,

one of such rounded edges constituting a lensV through which the mercury column may be observed in magnified proportions and is customarily read by holding thethermometer in a horizontal position with the bulb to the left.

it is the object of my invention to enable a thermometerof Vthis typeto be more easily and accuratelv read by the user, particularly in a dimly lighted sickroom,

My invention contemplates a new arrangement of the graduation marks, which arrangement is characterizedby the fact that .a completely blank space is provided between each adjacent pair of groups ofgraduation marks which indicate fractions of a degree, and this accomplish by arranging the full degree marks in such a manner either.VV that they do not extend so far between such groups as not to leave between such groups a substantially large free area by which such groups are clearly segregated, or, preferably, that such marks do not entend at all between such groups.

My invention is illustrated by way of eX- ample but not by way of limitation in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a thermometer Vembodying one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of a. thermometer indicating a modication of my invention; and Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a thermometer showing the modification illustrated in Fig. 1 butin the arrangement shown in my United States Letters Patent No. 994,482, dated J une 6, 1911.

In Fig. 1, 10 represents a thermometer tube of the lens front type having a lens or magnifying front 10a and provided with the usual bulb 11 and mercury channel 12. The graduation marks forming the usual thermometer scale comprise marks 13--13 indicating full degrees, and marks lll-14 indicating fractions of a degree, the mark 15 indicating the normal temperature of 98.6, and the relation of he graduation marks thereto, I

refer to thechannel or: the edges, as the case may he, as they arevisible-to thereaders eye,

vthrough the magnifying front 10a, and to the graduation niarksas visible to the readers eye with rclationto suchchannel asthus seen. Each of the linesy lik-111 constituting the marks indicating the fractions of a degree eX- tends from a point well above the mercury channel 12 to appoint where such line meets the upper edge of such channel. This arrangement of the marks leaves a completely blank space between adjacent groups B-.B of fractional degree marks, the blank space being approximatelyl equal. to twice the distance between the fractional degree marks of'a group.:

In the modification Yshown -in Fig. 2 the scaleis Ilikethat shown in Fig.` 1 except that the fulldegreeinarks13@ do not terminate at the lower edge of the mercur channel but c c Y y Y extend` beyond the same.v c c ln the ymodification shown in YF ig. 3 the scale is like that shown kin Fig. 1 but in order to distinguish more readily the graduations indicating sub-normaltemperature from thosey indicating fever temperature, the scale above 98.6 is arranged `.above the mercury channel;thus the marks indicating sub-normal temperature are v*arranged belowv such channel. l Vmake no 'claim to the arrangement of sub-normal temperature marks on one side of the mercury channel and fever tempe 1ature marks on the other side 0f the mercury channel as this is shown in my United States Letters Patent No. 994,482, dated June 6,1911. y y

The blank spaces A not only indicate in and by themselves the full degree position but, by separating-the groups of fractional degree marks, make it very easy to determine to how many fractions of ay degree the upper lill) end of thev mercury column extends. The fraction of 'a degree can be read Without any reference at all to the full degree mark, and after the fraction has been read the eye can travel to the first full degree mark below the top of the mercury column and thus complete `the reading. VJith the markings of the prior 'art such, for instance, yas illustrated in my Lettersv Patent referred to, the eye of the reader becomes confused and the fraction must be read by deliberately counting the fractional marks from the full degree mark instead of reading the fraction at a glance.

rEhe scales on clinical thermometers are so arranged that ten full degrees, orfifty graduation marks, occupy fromV one inch to one and three-quarters inches. Thermometers in which ten full degrees occupy only one inch or one and one-quarter inches necessarily have the fractional marks very close together and are therefore diicult to read, especially ina dimly lighted sickroom. The provision of the blank spaces Af is of particular advantage in reading suchclosely graduated scales.

vThe form of my invention shown in Fig. l, possesses the additional advantage of having the inner ends of the full degree and frac tional degree marks coincide, some with one of the edges and others With the other edge of the mercury channel, and thus constitute a finder for the mercury column. This in-` ventive thought is not claimed in the present invention but forms the subject-matter of another application Serial Number 453,904, led May 20,1930.

I claim:

As an article of manufacture a clinical thermometer of thelens front type provided with marks indicating full degrees, said marks extendingrfrom one edge of the magnified mercury channel across said channel and with groups, each of which is formedof a plurality of marks indicating a fraction of the same degree and extending to the edge of the mercury channel at Which said full degree marks begin, a portion at least of each of such groups being separated from the cor-` responding portion of the group adjacent thereto on the same side of the mercury channel by a completely unmarked space equal tov approximately tvvicey the distance between the fractional degree marks of a group.

RALPH F. SCHNEIDER. 

